


zelda (open your eyes)

by michpat6



Series: aftermath [9]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Zelda POV, but not really cause she’s going through a lot, its her time to shine, nintendo let zelda explore the trauma of being trapped with satan for 100 years challenge, this one is Kinda Weird but it has to be for the sake of exploring her trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28145664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michpat6/pseuds/michpat6
Summary: She’s afraid of the dark.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: aftermath [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033743
Comments: 10
Kudos: 152





	zelda (open your eyes)

She’s afraid of the dark. 

She doesn’t realize she is when Link covers up the windows and kills the lights hanging over the table downstairs. She’s sitting up in his bed, staring at him, trying to figure out what  exactly he remembered when they were talking.

_ You’ve called me that before. _

It was a stupid mistake. She let her guard down, she got too comfortable with him, and she forgot he has amnesia. 

She forgot he forgot her.

“Wake me if you need anything,” he says, voice quiet, and walks back down the steps. 

He’s quiet, has always  _ been _ quiet, but he wasn’t with her. Not during those last weeks before the Calamity struck, and not on her birthday, when the world crumbled around them and all he cared about was keeping her alive.

Not when he died for her. 

(Everyone died for her.)

Zelda watches him go, and as soon as her eyes can no longer make out his silhouette she isn’t tired anymore. 

She isn’t tired anymore because it’s dark, and she can’t seem to breathe. 

The back of her right hand tingles and a weight settles next to her on the bed. Goosebumps appear on her arms and she shudders as a chill runs down her spine. 

_Link_ ,  she tells herself. _ Get Link. _

Zelda’s throat tightens when a rough, leathery hand cups her cheek and hot, stinking breath hits her face.

“Hello again,” his- Its, it’s not a man, it’s never  _ been _ a man-voice is the same; Dry and raspy, like the desert it was born in, like the desert she once called her second home. “ _Little Goddess_.”

She squeezes her eyes shut and struggles to catch her breath. She’s frozen, she can’t move, she can’t  _ think_-

“Look at me,” It whispers, turning her head. She refuses, and its hand tightens on her cheek. Anger colors its tone when it repeats, “Look at me.”

“This isn’t real,” she manages. Her voice wavers so much the words leaving her mouth are unrecognizable. There’s a lump in her throat and tears are rolling down her face- “Link killed you, I sealed you away-”

“Open your eyes.”

_ This isn’t real, this can’t be real- _

“ _ Open your eyes _ !”

Zelda opens her eyes and almost sobs. 

She’s back in the sanctum, in her flithy dress, and on her knees with her hands clasped in front of her chest in prayer. The world around her is dark and tinted red, and she can just barely make out her father’s crumbled throne through the malice. Her entire body is golden and the Triforce glows on the back of her right hand and she feels as if she’s burning alive-

The Calamity appears before her how it had for the past century: In the shape of a Gerudo man, except its skin is a dull green color instead of bronze, and its long hair is more orange than red. It’s dressed in black, red, and gold armor, a tattered cape spilling from its back. It towers over her, at least seven feet tall, and its beady eyes are yellow. 

“This isn’t real,” she repeats.  _ I’m free. I’m free. I’m free.  _ “This isn’t real-”

“I’m the realest thing you know,” It stalks toward her, roughly grabbing her chin and tilting her head up so she’s forced to look into its eyes as it snarls, “Your Hero has always been a broken toy. I wonder, how long before he realizes it was a mistake to save you?”

_ Relax, Hero, I’m only teasing. _

_ You’ve called me that before. _

(Everyone died for her. The Champions, Link, her father. Thousands of innocent lives were lost because she couldn’t unlock her power until the last second, when their hopes of winning were already gone.)

“You have been a failure your entire life,” It continues. “It was a mere coincidence that you unlocked your power.”

“No,” she says.  _ I know.  _ “I unlocked my power because I love him-”

It laughs, letting her go. “And does he love you?”

_ You fulfilled your purpose, too. _

_ I haven’t, Zelda. My purpose is you. _

“No,” she repeats, weaker. Link believes he’s just her knight. He has no idea how wrong he is. “He doesn’t. He doesn’t remember me.”

It gives her an ugly grin. “Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.”

She flinches.

The Calamity leans in like it’s going to kiss her. Instead, it rests its lips along the shell of her ear, curving them into another wicked smile as it breathes, “You could say the same about Power.” 

It puts its hand over her heart and the Triforce glows on its knuckles and she cries out as pure, scorching hatred fills her body-

Zelda wakes in a cold sweat, choking on a silent scream. She’s lying in the dark, in Link’s bed, in his house in Hateno. When did she cover herself with the blanket?

_ Look at me. _

It doesn’t matter because it feels like a straitjacket. She kicks it off and staggers to her shaky feet, almost crashing into the wood railing. She grips it for support, wheezing, and her eyes land on Link out cold in his bed downstairs, tangled in the sheets with one of his arms dangling off the side.  


The Master Sword leans against the empty bow mount by his head, and she can hear a quiet buzzing coming from its scabbard.

Claws grip her shoulders. “ _Little Goddess_.”

She jumps, whirling around and finding nothing but her empty bed. Her heart pounds in her chest, and it is then that Zelda realizes that she’s afraid of the dark, and that it’s too dark in this house.

_ I’m the realest thing you know. _

She stumbles down the stairs, and the cold floor is a shock to her bare feet but she doesn’t care, desperate to get outside where the sun is so she knows she’s free because there was no sun in the sanctum-

Her hand is on the front door when she hears, “Zelda?”

Panting, she looks back over her shoulder and sees Link propped up on one of his elbows, squinting at her. 

There was no Link, either, but for all she knows it’s a trick and the Calamity is playing with her before it swallows her whole and destroys Hyrule-

_ Your Hero has always been a broken toy. _

(Her Hero has always looked adorable half-asleep.)

“I’m fine,” she lies, and hopes she doesn’t sound as scared as she thinks she does. “Just going to check on the horse.”

The Master Sword continues to buzz.

She doesn’t know if he believes her, but he must really be exhausted because all he does is nod and lie back down.

Zelda  _ does _ sob when she steps out onto the warm grass, and is almost floored by relief when she takes another step out of the shade of the awning and feels the heat of the sun on her face.

There was no sun in the sanctum.

Zelda drops to her knees in the grass, crying.

“I’m real,” she whispers, grabbing a handful of grass and feeling the blades dig into her palm, watching them crumple in her fist. “I’m real, I’m real, I’m real-”

She repeats herself until her voice is hoarse.

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to do a zelda pov at one point during this and decided to do it now because she’s like...not okay


End file.
